The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for aiding cooks in the preparation of food, and more particularly to an electronic recipe manager capable of merging electronic recipes so that the food preparation tasks of the electronic recipes are ordered so that the food items are completed and made ready to serve at substantially the same time.
As information appliances such as personal computers, Internet appliances and the like become more pervasive throughout the home, the use of such appliances in everyday tasks such as food preparation will become more commonplace. For instance, information appliances are often used as a storehouse for xe2x80x9celectronicxe2x80x9d recipes used in the preparation of meals by both amateur and professional cooks. Such electronic recipes typically not only include the ingredients required for preparing the dish, but also list the tasks or steps to be performed by the cook or cooks to combine the ingredients to complete the recipe. For example, an electronic recipe for baking a potato may include the following tasks:
Turn oven on and set temperature to 450 Degrees
Allow oven to preheat for 15 minutes
Wash potato
Wrap potato in aluminum foil
Place potato in oven
Bake potato for 45 minutes
Remove potato from oven
Such electronic recipes are easily followed when only one dish is being prepared. However, when several dishes are being prepared at once, for example a main course and several side dishes for a meal, it is often difficult for cooks to juggle the tasks required to prepare each so that the dishes are completed, and ready to serve, at approximately the same time. As a result, one or more of the dishes may be completed too soon, and may become cold or stale prior to being served. Further, it may also be difficult to schedule the simultaneous use of key resources, e.g., cooks, the stove burners, a microwave, a cutting board, and the like, needed for preparing the dishes.
Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method for preparing two or more dishes or food items wherein the food preparation tasks are ordered so that the food items are ready to serve at substantially the same time.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an electronic recipe manager for merging electronic recipes wherein the food preparation tasks of the electronic recipes are ordered so that the food items are completed and made ready to serve at substantially the same time.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, the electronic recipe manager implements a method for merging electronic recipes so that the food preparation tasks of the electronic recipes are ordered so that the food items are completed and made ready to serve at substantially the same time is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes retrieving electronic recipes for preparing one or more food items wherein each recipe includes at least one task. The recipes are then merged by combining the task(s) of each recipe to provide a task list suitable for use in preparing the food items, wherein the tasks are arranged chronologically so that the food items are ready to serve at substantially the same time. In exemplary embodiments, merging of the recipes may be accomplished by interrogating a database associating each task within the recipes with a time requirement describing the estimated time required for performing the task. When a task is performed, the actual time taken to complete the task may be determined and used for updating the time requirement associated with the task.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a system employing an electronic recipe manager for merging electronic recipes wherein the food preparation tasks of the electronic recipes are ordered so that the food items are completed and made ready to serve at substantially the same time is disclosed. The system includes a control appliance capable of retrieving electronic recipes for preparing one or more food items wherein each recipe includes at least one task. The control appliance merges the recipes by combining the task(s) of each recipe to provide a task list suitable for use in preparing the food items, wherein the tasks are arranged chronologically so that the food items are ready to serve at substantially the same time. In exemplary embodiments, the control appliance may include a database for associating each task within the recipes with a time requirement describing the estimated time required for performing the task. When a task is performed, the actual time required for performing the task may be determined and used for updating the time requirement associated with the task.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.